Have you thought about renovating your garage and converting it into living space; a spare bedroom, an in-law suite, or a playroom? Adding the livable square footage to your home could be an incredibly beneficial remodeling project. But that being said, there are very important things that you need to consider before taking on a garage renovation project of that size. At Pacific Experts Garage Doors, we’ve weighed the pros and cons of turning your garage into a living space and found a few things that you should think about as you move forward with your home improvement project.
1. When Is Converting Garage to a Room a Good Option?
If you’ve thought about turning your garage into a living space, you should consider if you (and your home) are in a position to be remodeled. Consider this:
Is your garage door is easily replaceable? – When you transform your garage from a car and storage space into a living space, you will need to replace your garage door and add insulation. Depending on whether or not you are making this a permanent conversion, you want to be sure that the garage door can be removed and reinstalled later on.
Can you afford heating and cooling costs? – Converting your garage into a living space will require you to spend money on insulating the space and investing in heating and cooling to make the space livable. Garages and carports generally aren’t air-conditioned, so this will likely need to be done.
When Parking and storage space are not an issue – If you have somewhere to park your cars and store your Christmas lights that won’t be in your new living space, then go ahead and make the conversion to a living space. But don’t transform your garage just to park your car down the block.
2. Do You Need to Apply for a Conversion Permit?
Before you can start demolition your garage to make way for that new man-cave, you need to go through all of the proper channels and file for the required permits. Most cities require that you acquire a building permit for garage conversions when you turn it into a livable space because there are fire and safety codes that need to be followed for your health and safety.
3. Will Turning Your Garage Into a Living Space Increase the Value of Your Home?
Finally, you want to consider if your garage transformation will increase the overall value of your home. In most cases, turning your garage into a living space will increase the square footage of your home. If you have a separate parking structure or carport on your property this could very well increase the value of your home. On the other hand, if it makes parking more difficult, it may make selling your home more difficult.